Helm, you understand all this is highly confidential.” “Oh, sure,” I said. “What was in those cans, anyway? Their new pocket model atomic bomb?” “Well,” he said reluctantly, “not quite. It was. a very ingenious sabotage device consisting of radioactive wastes enclosed in a shielded container with a small bursting charge. The explosive wasn’t sufficient to do much damage, but it would distribute the radioactive material over a fairly wide area, with unfortunate results to anyone who happened to be standing nearby, particularly if he didn’t realize the danger and undergo decontamination immediately. We’ve had a few cases.” “I know,” I said. “I read the papers.” “There have been others, less fatal, that didn’t reach the papers,” he said. “In many cases, with prompt action, the injury was relatively slight—the physical injury that is. But the injury to morale has been serious.” He frowned. “You must understand, Mr. Helm, that people who work around nuclear reactions tend to be, well, let’s say, a bit sensitive about anything pertaining to radioactivity.
